Selective control system for dispensing apparatus



Aug. 10, 1948. P. M. FARMER 2,446,643

SELECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DISIENSING APPARATUS Filed March 13, 1942 6Sheets-Sheet l 42 --TO FIG.2-

INVENTOR Mfhrmer BY Z ,2 a

ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1948. P; M. FARME'R SELECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FORDISPENSING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 13, 1942 INVENTORWOUKQZDI 1943- P. M. FARMER 2,446,643

SELECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 FiledMarch 13, 1942 INVENTOR .F'armer BY ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1948. P. M. FARMER2,446,643

. SELECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed March 13, 19426 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVE'NTOR Pint/Warmer ATTORNEY Aug. 10, 1948. P. M.FARMER SELECTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet6 Filed Mrch 15, 1942 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 10, 1948 SELECTIVECONTROL SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING APPARATUS Paul M. Farmer, Maplewood, N. 1.

Application March 13, 1942, Serial No. 434,550

This invention relates to electrical control systems and apparatus, andmore particularly to selective control or actuating means for efi'ectingsubstantially instantaneous operation of any one a large number of unitsarranged to dispense articles from stock. The invention will bedescribed as embodied in mechanical dispensing and assembly systems foruse in retail stores, wholesale establishments and the like, such asthose disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,276,293, issued March 17, 1942(of which the present application is a continuation in part), and PatentNo. 2,276,294, granted concurrently therewith.

In general terms, the object o! the invention is to provide improvedmeans for selectively operating in rapid succession any desireddispensing units of a group which may include several hundreds orthousands of units, under the control of a card-control mechanism or bythe setting of a manual keyset or other similar control apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system of the characterdescribed which operates either in accordance with punched cards ascontrol forms or alternatively by manual actuation 0! digit keys forselecting items for which punched cards are not available. In certainapplications, such as for merchandise order assembly systems, bothmethods of control are desirable in a single installation.

Another object of the invention is to simplify systems of the characterdescribed to such an extent that the apparatus may be set up. maintainedin adiustment and altered to meet chan ing conditions by comparativelyunskilled help. The design and arrangement of the component elements ofthe system are such that the operation of the system and the manner ofmaking changes and extensions therein will be obvious to those havingelementary knowledge oi. electrical circuits.

Another object of the invention is to insure effective operation of theselected dispensing unit. as by maintaining power supply thereto untilit operates, and to, indicate at the control station that such operationhas been effected, with lost time or delay in operation reduced to aminimum.

Another object of the invention is to indicate to the operator thefunctioning of the selective control apparatus.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in systems of thecharacter described, a positive indication or operation in response tospecial conditions that may be encountered, such 11 Claims. (Cl. 117-453) as the selection of an empty dispensing unit or an item for whichautomatic delivery is not contemplated. This object preferably isaccomplished by rendering the control system inoperative until theoperator eilects manualrestoration, the control system beingautomatically restored to normal under usual conditions when theoperation of the selected unit is accomplished.

As pointed out above, the present invention relates generally to systemsand apparatus for selectively dispensing and assembling items orarticles from stock, as in stores, mail-order houses and the like. Ithas been proposed to automatically dispense items by closing individualelectrical switches, each controlling a magnet arranged to actuate arelease to feed an item or package from a pile or stack. Such a controlsystem, requiring as many control switches as there are magnets, becomescumbersome and difiicult to operate quickly and accurately when there isa substantial number of diflerent items, and often an installation ofthis type involves several hundred or even several thousand diil'erentitems. In the electrical signaling art, other selective control systemshave been devised, some of which depend on coded or timed currentimpulses, varying strength or polarity of current, and so forth. Suchsystems are complex, require considerable maintenance and, in somecases, an appreciable period oi time for eiiecting selection. Inaccordance with the present invention, these dimculties or limitationsare overcome in a simple and eilective manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of the preferred embodiment thereof shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figs. 1-4, taken together, constitute a wiring diagram of a two-thousandunit system and illustrate the circuits of the manual keyset, cardcontrol mechanism, electromagnetic switches. and one of the dispensingunits;

Figs. 5, 6 and 'l are detail views of a suitable construction for themanually operable keyset, Figs. 6 and 7 being sectional views taken onlines 8-8 of Fig. 5 and 'I--I of Fig. 6, respectively.

Fig. 8 is a view illustrating a punched card to be used as a controlform. inserted in the card control mechanism of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 9 is a view showing the relation of Fills. 1-4 when assembled toform a complete diagram.

Referring to Figs. 1-4 oi. the drawings, arrang d as shown in Fig. 9, amanually operable 3 keyset II and a card control mechanism i2, Fig.

2, are each arranged to selectand operate any one of a multiplicity ofdispensing elements lli through the instrumentality of theelectromagnetic switches or relays shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Theswitches or selective multicontact relays of the tens group are shown inFig. 4; of

. the first thousand group (-999) in Fig. 3; and

0! the second "thousand group (1000-1999) in Fig. 1. Thus, the capacityof the control system illustrated is two thousand dispensing elements,and for each additional thousand, a set of switches similar to thatshown in Figs. 1 or 3 would be added, up to a total of ten thousandseparate dispensing elements.

The keyset H and the card control mechanism l2 are intended foralternative operation, depending upon whether a card is available tooperate the card control mechanism for any particular selection. Thecontrol units are designed to work together without interference, buteither may be omitted without altering the operation or the selectivesystem, and in some installations only one unit is employed. Both thekeyset II and card control mechanism l2 include digital sets ofcontacts, which are developed in Fig. 2 in connection with the keyset,the sets being labeled "units, "tens," hundreds and thousands,"respective- 1y,v .Accordingly, it will be apparent that when one contactof each of the four sets is closed, a number which corresponds to theparticular numerical designation of the dispensing element to beselected will be set up on the keyset. In a similar manner the closure01 one of the "units" contacts l8, one of the "tens" contacts l'l, oneof the hundreds? contacts i8 and one of the thousands" contacts i! ofthe card control mechanism l2 will eifeot the same result as the settingup of the corresponding number on the keyset Iii, since the contactslG-IB are multipled .to the contacts -29 or the keyset II, as indicated.

The keyset II is also provided, in the embodiment shown for the purposeof explaining the invention, with an "operate key 2|, a release key 22and a release magnet 25. As will be explained in connection with thedescription of Figs. 5 to 7, illustrating the detailed construction ofthe keyset, when one of the keys in any digital set is depressed toclose the associated contact, the key is latched in a position to holdthe contact closed. If the wrong key is depressed by mistake, theactuation of another key in the same digital set releases the key firstoperated. The release magnet 25 when energized restores all of theoperated keys and/or contacts to normal.

The electromagnetic selective switches illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4are shown as electromagnetic multlcontact relays oi. a conventionaltype. Other equivalent remote-controlled switches may be employed inlieu of the electromagnetic relays, such as relays which are operated byother than magnetic coils, cross-bar switches arranged for directcontrol in response to the closure of a circuit like an ordinary relay.et cetera.

The keyset contacts 26 of the units set are multlpled to the contacts ofthe "tens relays 20, 0|, .39, ten in number, and the coils of saidrelays are multipled through a cable to the digital contacts 2'! of the"tens set. To simpliiy the drawing, only three tens" relays are shown,the others being connected in a similar manner. In other words, theoperation oi the 0" key 21 operates relay 20, the operation of the "1"key 2'' operates relay II, and the operation of the 9" key 21 operatesrelay 30. with this 111'- rangement, upon the closure of one of theunits contacts 25 and one 01 the tens contacts 21, any one of a hundredcircuits (which are labeled 00-95 in Fig. 4) will be closed, relaysbetween 3! and 30 being omitted for thesake of clearness, as statedabove.

The hundreds" contacts 28 and the thousands contacts 20 01' the keysetare multipled through cables 4i and 42, respectively. to the hundredsand thousandsrelays. shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Thus, the contacts 29 areconnected to the coils of relays 50 and 5| so that either relay in orrelay 5| will be operated, depending upon whether the 0" or 1 key 29 ofthe thousands" group is depressed. Relay 50 controls the circuits of thehundreds relays 60a, 'Sia, Fig. 3, whereas the relay 5| controls thecircuits of thehundreds relays 60b, 61b. of the second "thousands"group, shown in Fig. 1. In order to simplify the drawing. only three ofthe hundreds" relays in each group are shown. The energization of relay50 connects ground potential to one side of the coils of all of thegroup of relays 00a, cm, .Bila, but only one of said relays will beoperated by reason of the connection of the other side of its coilthrough the cable 4i to the particular hundreds key 28 which is closed.Similarly; the'relay 5| connects ground potential to one side ofthecoils of the relay 60b, 6 i b, .591),

but only one of said-relays will be operated, depending upon which -ofthe hundreds keys 2!! is closed. It will be apparent that thi selectivecircuit arrangement may be readily expanded by the addition of otherthousands" relay groups, such as that shown in Fig. 1, and if thecapacity required does not exceed 1,000 lines as originally installed,the switching apparatus of Fig. 1 could be omitted. The relay 50 of Fig.2 could also be omitted in that case, and the connections from relays00a to 09, inclusive, permanently grounded.

The numbering of the lines of the first thousand is indicated in Fig. 3,and the numbering of the lines of the second thousand is indicated inFig. 1. Each of said lines, or as many as required, may be arranged tocontrol the operation of a dispensing element. To illustrate'theoperation of the system, a single dispensing element is shown connectedto line 002. Preferably the lines of the selective system terminate on asuitable terminal board with detachable connections, such as plugs andjacks 10 (see Fig. 3), whereby the connections between the terminals ofthe switches and the con-trolled elements may be readily interchanged.These terminal boards may be component parts of the hundreds relays, andbeing thus associated with separate hundreds groups, the setting up oi.wiring connections to associate particular numbers with particulardispensing elements is greatly facilitated.

It will be noted that each hundreds relay 60a, Sla, and so forth,contains terminals of a group of circuits bearing consecutive numbers,and successive groups of circuits are preferably found on adjacentrelays. This straight-forward grouping of the circuits simplifies theinstallation and testing of the switching relays and the circuitsthrough their contacts, and facilitates expansion of the system by theaddition of further switching equipment when required. Thus, theinstallation and maintenance of the equipment may be taken care 01' byrelatively unskilled labor.

The manual operation of Y the selective control system in detail-is. asfollows. When the keyset H is used, one of the keys in each digital setis closed to set up the assigned number of the dispensing unit which isto be operated. Each key and its associated contact when actuated islatched in the operated position. As shown, the contacts of the tens,"hundreds and thousands" sets are connected through conductor 13 and thecontact 83 of the card control mechanism to battery. Therefore, theclosure of one of the tens" contacts 21 connects battery directly to thecoil of one of the tens relays 30, 3|38,and since the otherterminal ofsaid coil is grounded, the relay operates. In like manner, the closureof one of the hundreds" contacts 28 connects battery directly to thecoil of one of the hundreds" relays 60a--69a, and to the correspondingone of the other hundreds relay groups Bub-69b, et cetera, Theconnection thus established becomes effective only within the particularthousand group which is actuated to operate relay 50 or 5|, whichcompletes circuits of those "hundreds relays. The closure of one of thethousands contacts 28 applies battery directly to one of the thousandsrelays 50 or 5|, and said relay becomes energized and'connects the coilsof all of the associate hundreds relays 6869 to ground. However, onlyone of the hundreds relays operates, since the circuit of only one relayin the group is completed through the cable iii and the operated one ofthe hundreds contacts 28. After the number has been set up on thekeyboard, the operate" key 2| is actuated, whereupon a circuit is closedfrom battery through the contact 83, the key 2|, the winding of relay15, the operated one of the contacts 26, one of the contacts of theenergized one of the tens" relays 30 to 39, and one of the contacts ofthe energized one of the "hundreds relays, for example, relay 60a, Fig.3, the winding of relay 1|, associated with that particular dispensingelement, and the contacts 16 to ground. The contacts 16 are provided forthe purpose of indicating when the dispensing unit is empty, and in suchcase the contacts will be open and break the above-described circuit.

When this circuit is closed by the operation of the key 2|, asdescribed, relays II and I5 become energized and a circuit is closedthrough the armature and front contact of relay 15 for energizing therelease magnet 25 to restore thekeys of the keyset H which have beenoperated. The opening of the contacts of the keyset releases the tens,"hundreds and thousands" relays, as well as control relay l5. Relay 1 i,however, locks up through its left hand armature and front contact andthe limit switch contacts 11 to battery so that it remains energizeduntil the dispensing mechanism has completed its operation. The contacts11 are arranged to be operated when the dispensing plunger reaches thelimit of its travel in the operating cycle. The relay H closesa circuitthrough its right hand armature and front contact for energizing themotor magnet 18 of the dispensing element, to eject or release thelowermost package I9. It will be apparent that a complete operation ofthe magnet core and plunger is insured by maintaining the power supplyto said magnet until the contacts T1 are opened by the plunger, eventhough the selective control circuit which operated relay 1| may havebeen opened. The dispensing unit illustrated is intended to representmerely a typical construe tion that may be employed, but otherelectrically operated mechanisms may be substituted therefor. Aprefe:red construction of a dispensing element which is particularlyadapted for this application is disclosed in my prior Patent No.2,353,394 granted July 11, 1944.

'It will be apparent that the selective control means according to theinvention provides a substantially instantaneous operation of thedesired one of a large group of dispensing elements, that the completeoperation of the selected element is insured although the selectivecontrol mechanism is quickly restored to normal, and that therestoration of the keys of the keyset indicates to the operator that thecircuit to the selected dispensing element has been closed and theelement operated. If the dispensing element is empty, or if the stock islow (in case contacts 18 are arranged to indicate low stock before thedispensing element is completely empty), the circuit of the releasemagnet of the keyset will not be completed by the operation operatorthat the desired item was not delivered by the dispensing element,either because the dispensing. element was empty, or a "blank number setupon the keyset by mistake, or in some instances where no dispensingelements are provided for special items. The operator having beenapprised of this condition'so that he can take the required steps toobtain the article desired, the keyset may be released by closing therelease key 22 to energize the release magnet 25. The resetting of thekeyset also is not effected if one of the selective switches orcircuitsis defective or broken, thus immediately indicating this condition tothe operator. During each operating cycle, therefore, the actualoperation of all of the required group relays and the completion of thecircuit to the desired dispensing element is indicated at the keyset,and occasional apparatus failures are quickly discovered. The selectorkeys 26, 21, 28 and 29 may be set up in any order or they may all be setup simultaneously. The keyset arrangement as later described herein isof such a character that mistakes which may have been made in actuatinga wrong key in any column may be corrected merely by pressing thecorrect key in that column.

The card control mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 8 is arranged to closeone of the contacts |GI 9 in each digital group upon the insertion of acard 80, whereupon the circuits of the remote control switches and ofthe selected dispensing element are closed in exactly the same manner asdescribed above in connection with the keyset ll.

As shown in Fig. 8, the card 88 is provided with perforations 8| whichare in alignment with the respective rows of contacts l8, i1, i8 and I9when the card is inserted in the card control device. When the card isinserted between the guides 82 in order to effect the selection of thedesired item, the edge of the card actuates contact 83 to remove batteryfrom the contacts of the keyset II and to energize a solenoid 84arranged to actuate the movable selective contacts of the card controlmechanism. The latter contacts are carried on a plate 85 attached to thecore of the solenoid 84, the movable contacts is being insulated fromsaid plate which is connected to battery potential. A retractin sprin 86is arranged to withdraw the movable contacts when the solenoid isdeenergized. As indicated in Fig. 8, the card 80 may also bear the name,price, etc., of the article represented by the card.

Upon the insertion of the card 80 as described, a circuit is closedthrough the contact 83, the armature and front contacts of normallyenergiz d r lay it and winding of the solenoid II, whereupon the movablecontacts I. to I! are actuated against the perforated card 80, therebyclosing a circuit iri'each digital group of contacts. dependof thekeyset H, a circuit is closed from battery through the winding of relay8|, one of the contacts II and the contacts of the operated remotecontrol switches to the selected dispensing element. The energization ofrelay '9 restores the card control mechanism and releases the card 82,which may then be withdrawn and another card inserted.

, It will be noted that the winding of the solenoid U4 is normallyconnected to battery through the make contact and upper winding of therelay 38, but the resistance of said relay winding is sumciently high toprevent the solenoid from operating. However, the depression of thecontact 83 connects battery potential directly, to the winding of thesolenoid N, as described above, and said solenoid becomes energized.When the contact 03 is depressed, the upper winding of relay 8| isshort-circuited through said contacts, but the armature of 'said relayremains attracted by reason of the current flowing from battery throughthe contact 23, the lower winding of relay 88, the armature and backcontact of relay 8!, resistance ll and the normally closed key ii toground. When relay 29 operates, the circuit of the lower winding ofrelay 8' is interrupted at the contacts of said relay 89, and relay 8.becomes deenergized to break the circuit of the solenoid H. when thearmature of relay 88 engages its back contact, it short-circuits thelower winding of said relay, and the'relay remains deenergized, eventhough the contacts of relay 8! reclose. Thus, the solenoid ll of thecard control mechanism remains deenergized until the card 80 iswithdrawn and another card inserted. As soon as the card to is withdrawnfrom the card control mechanism, the contact I3 is restored to thenormal position shown, and relay 88 becomes energized through a circuitthat may be traced from battery through the upper winding thereof, thenthrough either the armature and back contact of said relay or the lowerwinding of said relay, and the armature and back contact of relay I! toground. If the relay 8! fails to operate as described above, because thedispensing element is empty, or the article selected is not availablefor delivery from a dispensing element, the card control mechanism maybe reset by opening the key or switch St. The fact that the card 80 isnot released indicates to the operator that the item desired has notbeen dispensed. Furthermore, theoperation of the keyset II is dependentupon the contact 23 of the card control mechanism l2. Even if one ormore of the keys of the keyset have been operated, when a card isinserted in the card control mechanism, battery is removed from thecontacts of the keyset, thereby releasing anyrelays which may have beenoperated by the keyset. This interlock prevents the possibility of falseselections or faulty operation if both keyset and card control deviceare operated simultaneously, or one opervatecl before the other isreleased. Thus, it will be seen that either the manually operable keysetH or the card control mechanism l2 may be employed at will withoutinterfering with each other, and thatin either case the operation of theselective switching means and the restoration of the control device iseffected almost instantaneously. Furthermore, in each case the failureof the control apparatus-to operate one of the disp s elements isindicated to the operator immediately after the selection has beencompleted at the operator's station.

The detailed construction of the keyset and of the card controlmechanism may be altered in various ways without departing from thescope of the invention, and numerous constructions which would besuitable with comparatively slight modiiications for use in the systemdescribed are wellknown in the art. For the sake of completeness,however, the detailed construction of a keyset that might be employed inthe system is shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. The keyset shown comprises abase member IOI, on which the movable keys or buttons "I2 are mounted,said keys when depressed serving to close the contacts 26, 21, 28 and 29to control the selective switches, as described above in connection withFigs. 1 to 4. The keys may be supported for movement in any suitablemanner, and as shown, the shank portions I03 thereof extend through andare guided in slots in the cover I05, the spring-biased latch plate I06and the spring-supporting plate 101. The depressed keys are restoi ed bythe restoring springs I08 when released by actuation of the latch platesI06. A latch plate "it is provided for each digit row of keys and eachlatch plate is biased to the latching position by a. spring H0. Asshown, the shank portion iii! of each keybar is provided with a camprojection HI which is adapted to operate the latch bar I06 to releaseany key in the same row which h'as previously been depressed, and toremain latched in its normal position by engagement with the undersideof the latch plate, whereby a corresponding one of the control contacts21 (see Fig. 6) remains closed until the key is released and reset byits spring I08. The latch bars I06 are all arranged to be actuatedsimultaneously by the pivoted extension H5 of the armature N6 of therelease magnet 25, said extension engaging the projecting end portion Ill of each latch bar I 06 when the armature is attracted by the releasecoil to move the latch bars simultaneously into a position where theoperated key levers are all released. The keyset may also provide amounting for the "operate" key 21 and the "release key 22, as indicatedin Fig. 5, or these keys may be mounted separately.

The selective control system for dispensing apparatus embodying theinvention, on account of its simplicity and rapidity of operation, isparticularly advantageous .for use in retail stores, and wholesale andmail-order warehouses. The operating cycle, including manual operationsand the actuation and restoration of the selecting a pparatus, may becompleted so quickly that or more selections a minute may be readilyattained. This speed of operation conserves the customer's time andreduces the expense for labor. Both the arrangement of the system andthe operating procedure are so simple that installation, maintenance andoperation of the system may be accomplished with comparatively purposeof explaining the invention, inasmuch as modifications thereof willoccur to those skilled in the art. Numerous alterations andrearrangements of the structural details and connections, some of whichare referred to above, may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a selective control means for article-han dling systems of theclass described, a selectively operable control device having digitalsets of contacts to be operated in accordance with the assigned numberof the article-dispensing element desired, electromagnetic switchesconnected to be selectively operated thereby to establish an operatingcircuit to any desired dispensing element, current-responsive meansresponsive to the closure of an operatin circuit to reset the actuatedcontacts of the control device whereby thefailure of a contact orcircuit element is indicated by the oil-normal condition of the controldevice and means for maintaining energization of theselected dispensingelement long enough for it to operate. a

2. In a selective control means for article-handling systems of theclass described and including remote-controlled article-dispensingelements, a selectively operable control device having digital sets ofcontacts to be operated in accordance with the assigned number of thearticledispensing element desired, electromagnetic switches connected tobe selectively operated thereby to establish an operatin circuit to anydesired dispensing element, a current-responsive device common to all ofsaid operating circuits and means including said device for resettingsaid control device in response to the operation of said electromagneticswitches.

3. In a selective control means for article-hen dli systems o the classdescribed, a selectively operable control device having digital sets ofcontacts to be operated in accordance with the assigned number of thearticle-dispensing element desired, electromagnetic switches one foreach of said contacts and connected to be selectively operated therebyto establish an operating circuit to any desired dispensing element andelectroresponsive means in series relation with said operatin circuitsfor indicating to the operator at said control device the effectiveoperation of the switches and of the selected dispensing element.

4. In a selective control means for article-handling systems of theclass described, a selectively operable control device having digitalsets of contacts to be operated in accordance with the assigned numberof the article-dispensing element desired, electromagnetic switchesconnected to be selectivelyoperated thereby to establish an operatingcircuit to any desired dispensing element, means including anelectromagnetcommon to all of the operating circuits for resetting saidcontrol device in response to the closure of any operating circuit atthe completion of the selecting cycle and manually operable means forresetting said control device in case the selecting cycle is notcompleted.

5. In a selective control means for article-handlingsystems of the classdescribed and including a series of dispensing elements, electromagneticswitches having contacts in circuit with said elements and selectivelyoperable means for variably controlling said switches to operate anydesired one of said elements by energization of predetermined ones ofsaid switches, difieringin identity for each different selection, saidlast-mentioned 10 means comprising two control devices each eflective tocontrol said switches to operate any one of the dispensing elements, oneof. said control devices embodying manually operable keys and the otherinvolving card-reading elements for control by a card or similar controlform, said last-mentioned card-control device further embodying switchmeans operated by the insertion of the card in the card-reading elementsfor rendering the other control device ineflective to control saidfirst-mentioned switches in circuit with said dispensing elements.

6. In article-handling systems including a multiplicity of dispensingelements and selective circuit-closing means for operating any desiredones of said elements, said circuit-closing means comprising groups ofmulticontact relays including a tens group, duplicate hundreds" groupsand aplurality of thousands" relays, and operating circuits therefor,the operating circuits for all of the hundreds" relays in each hundredsgroup including contacts of one of the thousands" relays which isindividual to the particular hundreds group.

7. In a selective control system for article-handling systems of theclass described and including a series of dispensing elements,electromagnetic switches arranged in tens and hundreds and "thousands"groups, each of said switches being provided with contacts which areclosed when the switch is energized, individual operating circuits forsaid dispensing elements including said contacts of the switches of thetens" and hundreds groups, a selective circuit-closing device havingunits, tens," hundreds and thousands" contacts, circuits connecting theunits contacts of said circuit-closing device to the contacts of said"tens" grou of switches, operating circuits for the tens" and "thousandsswitches including the tens" and "thousands contacts of saidcircuit-closing device and operating circuits for the switches of thehundreds" group including contacts of the switches in the thousands"group and the hundreds" contacts of said circuit-closing device.

8. In article-handling systems including a mul tipllcity of dispensingelements, a plurality of groups of multicontact relays, circuits foroperating each of said dispensing elements, said circuits including thecontacts of certain of said relays, selective control means for variablyoperating said relays to operate any desired ones of the dispensingelements, and an electroresponsive device common to all of saidoperating circuits for resetting the selective control means to normalin response to the closure of each one or the said circuits.

9. In article-handling systems including a multiplicity of dispensingelements. a plurality of groups of multicontact relays, circuits foroperating each of said dispensing elements, said circuits including thecontacts of certain of said relays, a source of current and selectivecontrol means to con" :ct said source to said relays and operatingcircuits for variably operating said relays to operate any desired onesof the dispensing elements, said selective control means comprisingdigital sets 01' latching keys, means for latching said keys in theactuated position and means for unlatching the keys, said unlatchingmeans including an electromagnet in series relation with said source andthe keys of said selective control means.

10. In' article-handling systems including a multiplicity of dispensingelements and selective rality of circuit-closing means for operating anydesired ones of said elements, a card control device for.

controllingsaid selective circuit-closing means in accordance withperforations in a card or control form, said control device comprisingcontacts operated by the insertion of a card therein, means in ircuitwith said contacts, to Operate said control device to ei'lectcontrol otsaidcircult-closing meansand means for resetting said control device andreleasing the cards only after completion of selecting function toenergize the selected dispensing element.

g 11. In aseiective control system for article'- handling systems of theclassdescrihed and including a series of article-dispensing elements,

diflital groups of circuit-closing contacts including units tens" and"hundreds" groups, a pluhumireds electromagnetic switches one for eachcontact of the fhundreds group, a plurality oi. tenselectrom fln'eticswitches one for each contact of the tens group, means for selectivelyenergizing tens" and, hundreds switches in accordance with the operationor the corresponding contacts oi the "tens" and hundrcds" groups,operating circuits one for each of the dispensing elements and extendingfrom the switch contacts of the "hundreds" switches, circuits connectingone hundred contacts of the hundreds" switches in multiple to contactsof the "tens" switches, ten to the ten contacts of the first "tensswitch, ten to the ten contacts of the second tens switch and so forth,and circuits connectin the tencooperating or engaging contacts of eachtens" switch in multiple to the ten contacts of the "units" digitalgroup, whereby the separate individual operating circuits for thedispensing elements are selectively closed by closure of onefunits--contact, one "tens contact and its associated electromagneticswitch and one hund1'ed.s contact and its associated electromazneticswitch.

PAUL M. FARMER.

anneal-5102s man The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

